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    NEW YORK, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive survey of media usage
 by consumers and communication professionals challenges several major
 communications myths, including the growing belief that traditional media
 -- local newspapers and television news, in particular -- are dead. The
 survey by Ketchum and the University of Southern California's Annenberg
 Strategic Public Relations Center found that consumers still rely heavily
 on their local newspapers and local TV news while, increasingly, also using
 Web logs, or blogs, and other emerging new media to gather the information
 they need to make purchases and explore issues.
     The "Media Myths & Realities, 2006 Media Usage Survey" compares the
 media- usage habits of 1,490 adult Americans and 500 communications
 industry professionals. In general, the survey revealed that significant
 gaps exist between the two groups. While heavy users of all media, industry
 professionals often don't seem to go beyond their corporate Web sites to
 dispense information even though most consumers don't visit those sites
 that frequently. The results underscore the need for companies to establish
 a balance in their media mix.
     The strong "traditional media is not dead" finding comes at a time when
 the circulation and viewership numbers for traditional publications and
 television continue to slide and commentators are sounding the death knell
 of newspapers, especially. So what triggers the paradox? The Ketchum/USC
 Annenberg survey looks at media-usage habits and not whether consumers are
 subscribing to publications or viewing TV news less frequently. Many
 consumers undoubtedly are looking at newspaper and TV stations' and
 networks' Web sites and considering them to be under the traditional media
 umbrella. What's clear is that consumers still rely heavily on traditional
 media for the information they need to make purchasing decisions and to
 consider issues.
     According to the survey, nearly three-in-four consumers (73.6 percent)
 rely on their local TV news while nearly 70 percent (68.9 percent) depend
 on their local newspaper, and this heavy reliance cuts across all
 generations. As for new media, just 13.4 percent of the general public use
 blogs while only 4.8 percent use podcasts and 4.5 percent get media via
 their cellphone. However, usage of new media varies significantly by age.
     Other media myths deflated
     The survey, which establishes a benchmark against which trends in media
 usage can be tracked over time, discredits five other common media myths,
 including:
     * Blogs dominate. The survey revealed that just 13.4 percent of consumers
       rely on Internet blogs and only give them a 5.2 rating out of 10 for
       credibility, while nearly 69 percent of consumers read their local
       newspaper and give it a 7.2 credibility rating and 73.6 percent rely on
       local TV news and give it a 7.4 rating.
     * Social networking sites are just for kids. Reflecting growing interest
       toward personal relevance, the survey found that online social
       networking sites such as MySpace.com and Friendster.com attract people
       of all ages, not just the young. Overall, 17.1 percent of the survey
       respondents ranked them highest in usage among new media. While adults
       ages 18 to 24 (41.9 percent) and 25 to 34 (30.9 percent) use social
       networks the most, 15.1 percent of adults ages 35 to 44 and nearly 10
       percent of those 45 to 54 also use them.
     * Young adults don't read the newspaper. More than half of adults 18 to 24
       read local newspapers, the survey shows, with 16.4 percent reading a
       national newspaper or newspapers. Young adults are the most well rounded
       in their media habits, making significant use of all types of new and
       traditional media.
     * Word of mouth cannot be managed. The study proves that word of mouth can
       make or break a communications campaign. Advice from family and friends
       is used by 43.7 percent of consumers when making purchase decisions, and
       nearly one in four follows advice from coworkers. Credibility is high
       for both groups. And while word of mouth can't be controlled, it can be
       influenced by communicators who understand the informational needs of
       consumers and those who influence them by providing the information
       accurately and creatively.
     * The company Web site is the best way to communicate. Industry
       professionals often rely too heavily on their Web sites to convey
       corporate information while consumers view them as just one of many pit
       stops for such news. For instance, while nearly half of industry
       professionals use their company Web sites most for company
       announcements, only 6.8 percent of consumers look to the Web sites for
       such information. But consumers often use company Web sites to gather
       information before making major purchases, such as a car, consumer
       electronics and stock.
 
     What the Findings Mean
     "The Ketchum/USC Annenberg study clearly illuminates several critical
 findings, particularly that industry professionals must customize their
 media mix as consumers' needs vary and they use a multi-channel approach
 for their information," said Raymond L. Kotcher, senior partner and chief
 executive officer of Ketchum. "The survey also makes plain that traditional
 media live as drivers of consumer attitudes and choices, that new media
 have a definite place in the mix and that the human channel increasingly
 spreads the message through word of mouth."
     "The study also tells us a lot about influencers -- those people who
 are society's informational editors and who shape consumer attitudes," said
 Jerry Swerling, founder and director of the USC Annenberg Strategic Public
 Relations Center. "Influencers devour all media all the time, including
 word of mouth, and they adopt new media earlier than others. They typically
 use media at higher levels than the average consumer. As a result,
 companies must master how to participate in this cycle of influence, and
 new media channels may well provide the answer."
     Consumers' Multi-Source Approach
     The study demonstrates that consumers use a multi-source approach when
 seeking guidance about various purchases. For example, when considering the
 purchase of a new car, 35 percent of consumers -- the highest percentage --
 rely on advice from family and friends, but when thinking about purchasing
 stock, 26 percent look to business news Web sites and 20.8 percent visit
 company Web sites. When choosing a brand name prescription, the top choices
 are major TV news, at 14.3 percent, and manufacturers' Web sites, at 11.7
 percent.
     Takeaways for Communicators
     The survey identified what appears to be a disconnect between
 consumers' lack of reliance on corporate Web sites for information and
 industry professionals' strong use of them to convey corporate information
 compared to other channels.
     "The survey shows clearly that the best approach for corporate
 communicators involves employing a real marketing-mix mentality and using a
 variety of media channels when communicating with consumers and those who
 influence them," says Nicholas Scibetta, Ketchum senior vice president and
 global director of the agency's Communications and Media Strategy Network.
 "This captures the intersection of traditional and new media and of the
 human element that of word-of-mouth communications provides. Consumers and
 influencers increasingly are navigating to that intersection for the
 information they need."
     "What communicators must do, however, is understand which medium works
 best with which audience. And that's why employing a media mix is so
 important today," Scibetta added.
     Media Usage Results Vary by City
     The survey includes localized results for several major cities,
 including New York, the District of Columbia, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles
 and San Francisco. Media usage varies substantially among them. While
 residents of all the cities rely heavily on local newspapers, the
 percentages that rely on local TV news vary from 58.6 percent in Los
 Angeles to 81 percent in Pittsburgh. As for social networking sites, only
 7.2 percent of Atlantans use them compared to nearly one-in-four New
 Yorkers (23.4 percent).
     As for word of mouth, residents of Chicago especially rely on such
 communication from family, friends and co-workers, while word of mouth is
 less relied upon in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And only 19.4 percent of
 New Yorkers look to company Web sites for information, compared to 34.7
 percent of D.C. residents.
     Survey Facts
     The survey was conducted between Sept. 6-20 and among the 1,490 adult
 respondents, at least 100 came from each of the seven cities where there
 was a particular focus.
     University of Southern California Annenberg Strategic Public Relations
     Center
     The USC Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center (SPRC) plays a
 major role in the continuing evolution, professionalization and expansion
 of the public relations discipline. A unit of the USC Annenberg School for
 Communication's Public Relations Studies Program, the Center's mission is
 to advance the study, practice and value of public relations by conducting
 applied research in partnership with leading industry groups.
     Ketchum
     An innovator in communication since 1923, Ketchum delivers seamless
 service around the globe through its 23 offices and 48 affiliates in North
 America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With its five global
 practices, Brand Marketing, Corporate Communication, Healthcare, Food and
 Nutrition, and Technology, Ketchum offers clients a unique breadth and
 depth of marketing and corporate communications expertise. A leading global
 public relations firm and the PRWeek 2002 Agency of the Year, Ketchum is a
 unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:   OMC; http://www.omnicomgroup.com).
 Additional information on Ketchum, its award-winning work, and past press
 releases can be found at http://www.ketchum.com.
 
 

SOURCE Ketchum